Void of the Heart
by NocturnesOpus
Summary: Sometimes, things happen in life that changes our whole world and flips it upside down. We feel lost, we feel grief, we feel sorrow, and we feel like everything is going to end. But... there are also times when life gives us something to compensate for our loss. Oneshot? Changed a bit of it up. And additional authors note added at the bottom.


**I do not own Naruto, nor any of the music within this story.**

 **So I decided to try my hand at this writing Fanfiction stuff because I just found some inspiration from playing VOEZ which is a really cool music game app with awesome songs. So after a while i just had this idea. A pianist Naruto, hmm has that ever been done before? Hmm, oooh how about something like from Your Lie in April and so I came up with this.**

 **I don't know if this will be a chapter or a oneshot so I'll just leave this up for now. Yes it is a music one because I mean, come on. How are you going to enjoy the full experience without listening to the song that I picked out from Beethoven. It's a great piece and I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Kokoro no Kūkyo

(Void of the Heart)

 **Sonata No.14 "Moonlight" in C-Sharp Minor**

 _Hey..._

He starts off slow, his fingers gliding expertly across the keys. The medley starting off soft until he starts pushing a little more pressure into the white and black teeth, his foot occasionally on and off the pedal. His shoulders and body move along with the sounds being produced, his head lowered and bobbing slightly to the tune as a small smile overtakes his features.

 _Can you hear me?_

His heart beats steadily along with the rhythm of the music. His closed eyes squinting slightly here and there as he misses the rare note. Normally a person would freak out at this moment, but instead he managed to continue on playing, undisturbed.

 _I'm doing this for you._

Sweat begins to accumulate on his forehead in small beads as the lights from overhead beams down upon him. The small beads of sweat starts to make his nose twitch in irritation as he hates not being able to wipe things that bother him when he's trying to focus. But he had to suffer through it before, so he can go through it again.

 _So you can listen to my heart while you're going through what you are right now._

As he plays on, the image of a red haired woman with eyes like amethyst and a warm, sunny smile clouds his vision and fills a aching in his chest. The sounds became heavier and more weightful, signifying the hidden pain he has in his heart. He continues, hoping the song can reach far and wide. Beyond this building and straight to her.

 _Because I know how much you want to be here with me._

He bites the inside of his cheek and squints his eyes tighter as he staves off the wetness behind his eyelids. His breathing picks up slightly as his heart beats quickens slowly. His fingers continue moving, still making the rare mistake every now and again. He continues on.

 _And I know how much you love to listen to me play._

He swallows thickly, saliva running down his throats like it was made of honey. He shakes his head, softly. He calms down his breathing and he lets the inside of his cheek go. He couldn't afford to panic right now. He had to keep going. He had to play for her.

 _So, please. Just listen to me play from where you are._

His tempo picked up ever so slightly and diminished as the music sheet he memorised from earlier had dictated to do so. His fingers moved on without his bodies troubling mind getting in the way. They helped guide his way through the piece as though they have a mind of their own. He could do this. He has to do this.

 _Listen as I pour my heart and soul into this._

The audience stared, captivated by the young boy as he played the melody from one of Beethoven's greatest hits. Most of the members eyes were filled with tears while others had nostalgic looks on their faces as the music reached inside of their hearts and pulled up memories that were either sad or happy. The notes washed over them all like a calming ocean, as if God Himself was there touching their hearts and blessing them with His warm presence.

 _As I give you everything I have!_

A young girl with pink hair around the age of 9 years old had tears flowing out of her emerald green eyes and down her face in river like fashion. Snot drips down from out of her nose even after wiping it clean several times. She couldn't help it though and it's not like anyone would care seeing as how some of the others watched on with tears down their faces as well.

 _Everything!_

The boy around the same age was sitting beside her, but has black hair and obsidian black eyes. The young lad stared in awe at his best friend, still amazed at how well he can play. The three of them may be childhood friends, but they each have their own specialty. Sakura with academics, Sasuke himself with athletics, then there was him with music. He could play the piano better than most people could ever dream of being able to.

 _Kaa-chan…_

Otsutsuki Kurama, world's most renown pianist, looks at the young boy upon the stage with pride within his unusual crimson eyes. He had known him since he was at least 5 year old brat and was just beginning in the music world. He was, at first, stunned to see how well the boy could play for his so called first time (he's pretty sure Kushina had something to do with that) and also for being so young when he himself had started out with nothing more than the basic Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Either way it goes, he blew him away before and he still manages to do it again every time at every event, (though he'd never admit it, kid already had a big head), despite what's been happening… before his thoughts when down that road, he shakes his head to get rid of it and went back to recording like he asked him.

Please _, let it reach you._ Please _let it get to you._ Please _let it show you…_

On and on the song went. He played as well as he could under such a weight placed upon his shoulders. He had to play it accurately, he had to play it better than he usually did. Not just because he wanted to let her hear it. Not just because he wanted to show her how good he is at it. She knew all of that already.

 _Let it show you just how much I love you!_

"I'm sorry… Sochi…" a whisper, a faint airy sound resonates with the music he plays. A chill passes over his spine and he shivers ever so slightly.

Something wraps around him, enveloping him completely from head to toe. He cracks his eyes open slowly revealing watery ocean blue eyes for the first time since starting to play. He raises his head up as that feeling continues to encircle him in a warm embrace, contradictory of the chill earlier. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees it. Crimson red strands of hair that only belonged to one person he knew. One person who he thought would stay by his side forever.

He plays on... however… there was a change. The rarely missed notes that he had started off with were becoming more and more commonplace. The beautiful sounds from earlier died and bled off into something miserable and dreadful. Whispering took over the audience as they watched on in confusion as the prodigy was… failing?

Tears start to spill out of his eyes, lower lip quivering as a little snot tries to escape from his nose. His fingers, who had carried him through playing so many times throughout the songs he had previously played. They started to fail him. They played music that wasn't written in the sheet. They weren't playing what he wanted to.

Why weren't they playing it right? Wasn't that supposed to be a E sharp? No, no. That was supposed to be a F… wait no that's a G… what are you doing?! He shouted in his mind. Play it right! You have to play it perfectly! You can do it!

But… What were the notes again? Sixteenth notes? No… Was that supposed to be a triplet? _I don't know anymore?_ The playing dissolved into chaos, a maelstrom of cacophonous noise. _The notes!_ he thinks, panicked at what was happening, his mind going blank. _They're vanishing! They're disappearing! Mom! Mom! Help me! I can't find the notes! What were the notes! I forgot! I forgot them!_

And… all at once… it stopped.

There was no more music. There was no more warmth. There was no more red hair. There was no more words spoken. It was gone. All gone. The notes. The sound. The light. The piano… his mom.

All gone.

He had to play it because… that was her favorite piece.

Day after day. Week after week. He practiced this song leading up to her surgery. He did it relentlessly, practicing into the late hour so that when this contest came up, he'd play it for her so she could see. He even got Kurama-sensei (and it was dang hard to get him to do anything like that!) to record it for her so she could see him play the song he worked so hard for, for her.

But he forgot the notes. His hands hovered over the keys, suspended like a puppet with strings that his master wouldn't let move. His eyes stare blankly ahead of him, staring at nothing and yet everything. Tears stream down his face as that look remained there.

And he stayed like that for a while, suspended in that chair, everyone looking on shocked and bewildered at the debacle. No one moved, no one breathed as if waiting for something to happen. They didn't have to wait long though.

The young, spiky, blonde haired boy with sky blue eyes and slightly tan skin. The boy who had turned 8 not too long ago. The one with wide smiles, and whisker like birthmarks on his face. The one who dedicated so much to the music he played for his mother. That boy, named Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. The one who was a prodigy at playing the piano...

His eyes rolled up into the back of his head and collapsed off the chair and onto the stage.

Two miles away, at the Kishimoto Hospital, in the hallway outside that leads to the operating room. A man with similar blonde spiky hair, had his face in his hands and his shoulders shook as drops of water slip between his fingers and hit the floor. Two doctors stand in front of him talking to the blonde haired man, but it didn't look like the man was listening.

The red light above the operation room turns dark.

* * *

 **Six years later**

"Uzumaki!" A voice shouts out, causing the young blonde haired teen to look up, knocked from the prison that's called his mind. He noticed, through his ocean blue eyes the concerned look on his sensei's, Umino Iruka's, face. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed that people were looking at him all with either a exasperated look on their faces or (the only two who knew) a look of pity and sadness.

Its always been like this. It's not his fault he can't focus on much of anything at the moment. What did he expect from him. What did any of them expect from him. "Yes sensei?" He asks embarrassed as he scratches the back of his head.

Iruka takes a moment to look at one of his most promising student in class with a uncertain look before deciding to move past it. "Make sure to pay attention in class instead of dosing off in your own little world, got it."

Chuckling a bit for the ridiculousness of being caught and also embarrassed by the circumstance, Naruto just nods his head. "Sorry Umino-sensei. I was just thinking about the Heian period." He lied smoothly, yet shakily.

It's been six years since that incident at the competition. Ever since then, it's been tough on, not just him, but also his dad whom had to work twice as hard to catch up with the bills seeing as how his mother had the most money out of the two.

It just hadn't been the same for his father. He hadn't been the same for him. Nothing has been the same anymore.

"Well, next time Uzumaki-kun." The scarred man spoke, his tone a little softer. "Pay attention to _this_ lesson and try not to doze off during class next time."

"Yes sir." He readily said. "It won't happen again."

Iruka casts a lingering look on the blonde before turning around, albeit reluctantly, and went back to teaching history. _That boy..._

Without wasting a single second, despite what his teacher's warning, he turns his head over to look out the window. The background noises of students writing notes and Iruka talking fades away to nothingness. He stares up at the clear blue sky, the sun shining bright overhead. He can make out the flying of about a dozen birds flying in the air. He wished he could be free like them too... maybe then he'd be closer to her.

 _I..._

Six years. It's been six years since he lost the ability to play. Six years since he's tried to play after the recital... and each time, the notes flowed off the page and out of his reach. Just like she is now.

He just wishes he could be with her. That she could be with them. That she wouldn't have left in the first place. Then, if that was so, there wouldn't be such a huge hole in his heart.

 _Miss you mom..._

And so. His days will probably continue on like this. Lost and broken. The death of his mother weighing heavily in his heart. He missed the chance to see her. He wasn't by her side when she died. He didn't even tell her goodbye. What kind of son does that? What kind of person would go to a competition instead of going to see his sickly mother?! How could-?

However, just before he can continue on in his own grief, there was a loud knock at the door that cracked through the air and through his foggy mind. He, along with the rest of the class turns their head through the door as their scarred teacher asked the person to come in.

When the door opened, everyone held their breath and Naruto's eyes widen to those of dinner plates. _That's!_

How could he continue on living happily if his mother was gone? How could he continue on playing the one thing that kept him from his mother? How?

"Hello everyone!"

The answer to that is...

"My name is #%^*."

Because, sometimes. Life throws something to help you move on.

* * *

 **Ok... so when I first imagined this, it wasn't so dark. It was supposed to be friendship/general. Not this. But, well whatever works I guess.**

 **I hope you like this and pease give me your thoughts. Should I continue or should I just stop at a oneshot?**

 **04/09/2017: Revised a bit of the character choice for Naruto's tutor from Kurenai to Kurama. Let me tell you guys that I'm working on the outline and everything. This just might be a chapter a story instead of a oneshot**


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